The Past Affects
by Imagination Knight
Summary: This is what I would imagine would happen next in teh TV series. It's based off a theory that I have about what happened to the airbenders, and it's affects after the return of teh avatar. Please review, for I know where you live. Yeah you. Not really.


**Avatar the Last Airbender**

**Book Four: Air**

**Prologue**

**This is based off a theory that I have developed. Did the fire nation actually kill off the air benders? For I've watched the series over and over, and besides Monk Gyatso there were no other bodies in any of the other air temples, or for that fact no real damage to them either. You would think that if the fire nation had come there would be more signs of it. Another fact is that the other monks seemed to have known the war was going to happen, which is why they told Aang he was the avatar at such a young age, so wouldn't you think there would have been some sort of evacuation. There is more to my theory but that's enough to get you started.**

100 years ago…

"Gyatso, the boy is not going to return," said the senior monk. "He ran away from his responsibilities like a child."

"But he is a child," Gyatso reminded him, pulling a fresh cake form the oven.

"He is not just a child he is the avatar."

"You act like that he is the avatar that he should mature like that," he said snapping his fingers, "but he is still in fact a child who has just had the weight of the world dropped onto his shoulders, something that most grown men and women couldn't be able to handle."

"Why do you defend the boy?" he spat. "Because of his cowardliness he has doomed the world."

Gyatso turned around sharply smashing the cake into his fellow monk's face. The senior monk stumbled back, shocked at Gyatso's reaction.

"It would be wise for you not to insult my student again," he warned him in his same calm and measured voice.

He wiped his face off and replied, "Fine, but will you reconsider staying here? There will be nothing for you here."

"This is my home," he said plainly, "I will not be runoff from my own home, and more importantly this is Aang's home. Right now he is frightened by the burden placed upon him. But I know he will return, and when he does, I want him to know that this is still his home," he said with a soft smile.

The senior monk gave him a dismissive grunt and wave of the hand, and left the room. Gyatso returned to making his cakes. Once he was sure the senior was away he let himself break down to a soft cry. Not for himself or his home, but for the boy who was the closes thing he ever had to a son.

The other monks were busy packing their few belongings and the scrolls containing their history. The sun was setting over the mountain peeks when they finished. All the sky bison stood ready to leave. Gyatso went out to say his last farewells. The younger monks begged and pleaded for him to come with them. He just smiled pleasantly and said he could not. Just before they left all the monks bowed respectfully to the greatest airbender, he in turned bowed to the greatest monks he had ever known. He watched as the last of those great people flew beyond the horizon.

The last monk inhaled deeply and let out a long peaceful sigh. "Well back to work," he said happily.

He tended to the garden, made pies, practiced his moves, made pies, washed the floors, made pies, meditated, made pies, and ate supper by himself, though he had set out plates for the rest of the monks. He continued to take care of the temple for three days. One day as he was watering the garden he heard them.

"I have visitors," he noted.

The first of the fire nation tanks pulled themselves over the cliff. The main hatch on one of the tanks opened and the fire nation general leading the attack stepped out and bellowed, "This is General Mao of the fire nation. We are in search of the avatar. We command that all airbenders come out and be accounted for."

There was no response. The general stepped down from his tank. He heard something crackle beneath his foot. It was a piece of paper. He picked it up. There was an arrow pointing straight at the temple painted on it. "Cover me I'm going in." Ten fire nation soldiers jumped out of their respective tanks and formed an ark around the general. They marched steadily forward, all ready to strike.

They followed the note to a wooden statue of an old monk. Another note was tacked to it, still ushering them into the temple. Mao snatched the note and burned it in his hand. He didn't like being led around, especially in unknown territory. He was thinking about breaking off their set trail, but these were still unknown territory, and besides the monks aren't known to be violent. If they wanted to lead them straight to where they were it would make it that much easier to burn them to ashes. He followed the simple instructions. His team had to form into lines when they entered the thinner hallways. The only time he felt he was in any sort of danger was when they had to ascend a narrow spiral stair case, where a strong gale could have sent them toppling back down the stairs, with no escape in sight. They reached the next floor. Deeper and deeper they were led into the sanctuary.

"I'm in here," called a voice. The whole squad froze. A head poked out of a door half way down the hall. It was the monk the statue was carved as. "I'm in here," he repeated. "What's been taking you so long? Is that heavy armor slowing you down? Does no matter, come in."

The general looked confused but didn't want his men to see that. He walked confidently to where the old man was. He stopped in total shock and disbelief at what he saw in the room. Cakes, cakes, cakes and more cakes all with different fillings stacked to the ceiling covering most of the ground except for a constricted pathway and around a long table.

The general stepped cautiously into the room totally baffled, his face clearly showing it. His men followed suit. They all stood on one side of the long table staring at the amazement of this phenomenon. They all but forgot about the elderly monk, who appeared out from behind a tower of cakes.

"Please sit down," Gyatso offered.

The hardened military men jumped at his words, but quickly recomposed themselves. They sat down on the cushions on the ground. He set down tea glasses in front of each of them, and one on the other side where he would sit. He disappeared again behind the cakes and came back out with a steaming pot of tea. The army men sat quietly as they were served tea.

The general finally decided to fill the silence. "What's with all the pies?"

"Cakes," he corrected.

"Cakes, what' with all of them?"

"Oh, I've had a lot of time on my hands and decided to spend it doing something productive." The general nodded, still dumbfounded by the quantity. "Would you like some?"

"Um, no, I'm sorry" he declined politely. "We have important business to take care of."

"Then we must have some," he declared loudly. "I have always found it that when important business needs to be done it is always good to have some cake, besides you are visitors here."

Mao didn't know how to respond to this man. He was very kind, but something didn't quiet seem right. He knew they were coming, and from what he remembered about monks they didn't like intruders. So why was he being like this.

Gyatso set a cake in front of each of them, and finally in front of his own seat. The cakes were about the size of their heads. One of Mao's men reached for a fork, but Mao threw a sharp look at him and set the fork back down.

"So, what is your important business?" Gyatso asked after taking a sip of his tea.

"We are going to catch him or kill him anyway might as well tell him," he thought. "We were ordered here to find the avatar."

He threw up a questioning eyebrow. "Avatar?" he asked seeming completely baffled.

Again Mao was taken back by the man. Every one knew about the avatar, his ability and his purpose. Maybe the old man baked his mind into one of these cakes.

"That does sound familiar, avatar. Could you describe him to me?" he asked.

"We don't know what he looks like."

"Then how are you supposes to find him?"

"We do know that he is twelve and is an airbender."

"So, I guess I'm not the avatar." This old man was starting to really irritate him. "Let's see I know a few twelve year old airbenders there's: Mushi, Pao, Lee, Kong, Aang, Elis …"

"Enough of this old man, I know you're hiding him!" he yelled getting to his feet.

Gyatso stood up. His eyes were calm but how he held himself made him look ferocious. The general took a step back from the intimidating figure. "You will not find my young pupil here. Search as you may but you will never find him. This I swear." He crossed his arms in front of him, and swept them forward. The men were knocked back into the wall, Mao out the door. Their cakes crashed in their face.

They wiped the obstruction from their face. "Atta…" Mao began, but the monk's cake cut him off. "Attack," he yelled wiping the fresh cake off his faces.


End file.
